Resource management system

ABSTRACT

The resource management server manages the information concerning the resource reservation status and the information of groups of all electronic equipments connected to the hubs. When an electronic equipment is newly connected to a port of one of the hubs, the electronic equipment issues a resource request and the group information to the resource management server. The resource management server sets up a network path between the newly connected electronic equipment and the other electronic equipments belonging to the same group as the newly connected electronic equipment, and judges if the resource request can be accepted on the setup network path.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a resource management systemthat reserves and manages resources such as a communication bandwidthand communication quality of a network that is comprised of a pluralityof mutually connected network electronic equipments. In thisspecification, a network resource is simply referred as “resource.” Thepresent invention especially relates to techniques of reserving andmanaging resources in a home network where network-connectablehome-electronics-appliances, such as AV electronic equipments,telephones, FAX machines etc., are connected.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] In a network environment represented by the Internet, acommunication is done by dividing information into units called packetsand by transmitting them. The packet transmission is processed by a besteffort unless otherwise specified.

[0005] However, in multimedia data such as image and voice,communication quality should be guaranteed by securing the resource on anetwork path to communicate without disorder.

[0006] As a network resource reserving method, IETF (InternetEngineering Task Force) provides for resource reservation protocols suchas RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol), as an Internet standard.

[0007] In RSVP, a resource necessary for a multi-media communication issecured on a path to a communications partner before starting themulti-media communication. Use of RSVP can guarantee the communicationquality, since a necessary resource is secured for every stream beforestarting the communication.

[0008] IETF also provides for DiffServ (Differentiated Services),IntServ (Integrated Services), etc., as a method to realize a bandwidthreservation based on a resource reservation.

[0009] (1) The resource reservation by RSVP reserves a resource when aservice is started and there is no guarantee that a necessary resourceis surely secured when the service is received. Therefore, as a result,the satisfactory service may not be receivable. Such situation may beaccepted in general communication service.

[0010] However, users of AV electronic equipments such as a TV and a VTRinstalled in a home network and a FAX machine, etc. do not accept thesituation described above. That is, it is a socially accepted idea touse these electronic equipments stably and it is not acceptable thatthese electronic equipments cannot be used depending on the time.

[0011] Therefore, in the network that connects these electronicequipments, it cannot help saying that the resource reservation by RSVPis not enough.

[0012] (2) Since an advanced technical knowledge is required to comprisethe network so as to secure the resource, it is difficult for a generaluser to install and set up the network. Since the users without atechnical knowledge are expected to use the home network, a techniquefor easy installation and setup is required.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is toprovide a resource management system with easy installation and setupand that can provide reliable service.

[0014] A first aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, comprising:

[0015] a plurality of electronic equipments classified into groupsaccording to their capacity;

[0016] a plurality of lower layer transmission devices with ports wherethe plurality of electronic equipments are connected;

[0017] a upper transmission device operable to connect the plurality oflower layer transmission devices in subordinates and to relayinformation among the plurality of electronic equipments being connectedto the plurality of lower layer transmission devices; and

[0018] a resource management server operable to manage resources to beused for transmitting information between the upper transmission deviceand the plurality of lower layer transmission devices;

[0019] wherein the resource management server is operable to manageinformation of resource reservation status and information of groups ofall said electronic equipments connected to the plurality of lower layertransmission devices;

[0020] wherein, when the plurality of electronic equipments are newlyconnected to the plurality of lower layer transmission devices, theplurality of electronic equipments is operable to send, to the resourcemanagement server, a notice of resource reservation request and groupinformation thereof; and

[0021] wherein, when the resource management server receives the notice,the resource management server is operable to set up a path connectingthe newly connected electronic equipments and other electronicequipments belonging to the same group that the notice indicates, andthe resource management server is operable to judge if the resourcereservation request according to the notice is acceptable on the pathset up in the network.

[0022] In this configuration, dividing the electronic equipments intogroups in accordance with the capacity can make rational resourcereservation, eliminating unnecessary connecting combination like atelephone and a VTR.

[0023] A user can make the resource reservation by only connectingelectronic equipments before receiving service and can receive highquality service easily.

[0024] A second aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein the resource management server is operable toupdate reservation status of the resources when the resource reservationrequest according to the notice is acceptable on the path set up in thenetwork, and operable to make a resource reservation for the electronicequipment.

[0025] With this structure the reservation status is updated inaccordance with the resource demand.

[0026] A third aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein the resource management server is operable togenerate picture information displaying whether the resource reservationrequest is acceptable or not.

[0027] With this structure, showing the picture information enables auser to know easily whether the resource demand can be accepted.

[0028] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein, when a resource reservation request by theelectronic equipments is rejected, the resource management server isoperable to generate picture information displaying a location on thenetwork that causes the rejection.

[0029] With this structure, showing the picture information enables theuser to know easily the location of the cause and to takecountermeasures.

[0030] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein, when a resource reservation request by theelectronic equipments is rejected, the resource management server isoperable to search an alternative port through which the resourcereservation request is acceptable and to generate picture informationdisplaying a location of the searched alternative port.

[0031] With this structure, showing the picture information enables theuser to know the alternative port and to receive service by connectingthe electronic equipment to this alternative port.

[0032] A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein when a resource reservation request by theelectronic equipments is rejected and when there exist a plurality ofgrades of service quality, the resource management server is operable tomake another resource reservation request with a lower grade of servicequality.

[0033] With this structure, succeeding in a re-reservation enables theuser to receive stable service by lowering service quality withoutreconnecting the electronic equipment.

[0034] A seventh aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein when a resource reservation request by theelectronic equipments is rejected, the resource management server isoperable to cancel the present reservation status and to make a newresource reservation request.

[0035] With this structure, the resource demand can be easily made bymaking the reservation again.

[0036] An eighth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein the new resource reservation request is madein order of demand for higher grade resources.

[0037] With this structure, an electronic equipment that has highresource demand and is hard to be assigned is given priority.

[0038] A ninth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein the new resource reservation request is madein order of demand for lower grade resources.

[0039] With this structure, an electronic equipment that has lowresource demand and does not greatly decrease the resource by theassignment is given priority.

[0040] A tenth aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein the new resource reservation request is madeas directed by a user input.

[0041] With this structure, the user's will is respected.

[0042] An eleventh aspect of the present invention provides a resourcemanagement system, wherein, when a resource reservation request is notactually practiced although reservation thereof is made, the resourcereservation request is diverted to other services.

[0043] With this structure, unnecessary reservation can be eliminated.

[0044] The above, and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following descriptionread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numerals designate the same elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a resource managementsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a router in the embodimentof the present invention.

[0047]FIG. 3 is an exemplified illustration showing an electronicequipment performance table in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0048]FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing connection process for electronicequipments in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0049]FIG. 5(a)-FIG. 5(c) are exemplified illustrations showing areservation status table in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050]FIG. 6 is an exemplified illustration showing an insufficientlocation table in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0051]FIG. 7 is an exemplified illustration showing an availablelocation table in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0052]FIG. 8-FIG. 10 are flowcharts for a resource management server inthe embodiment of the present invention.

[0053]FIG. 11(a)-FIG. 11(c) are exemplified illustrations showing areservation status table in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0054]FIG. 12 is an exemplified illustration showing a pictureinformation display in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0055]FIG. 13 is a flowchart for the resource management server in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0056]FIG. 14 is an exemplified illustration showing a pictureinformation display in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0057]FIG. 15 is a flowchart for the resource management server in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0058]FIG. 16-FIG. 21 are exemplified illustrations showing pictureinformation displays in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0059]FIG. 22 is a data structure illustrating a banned device table inthe embodiment of the present invention.

[0060]FIG. 23 is a flowchart for the resource management server in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0061]FIG. 24-FIG. 25 are exemplified illustrations showing pictureinformation displays in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0062]FIG. 26 is a flowchart for the resource management server in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0063]FIG. 27-FIG. 28 are exemplified illustrations showing pictureinformation displays in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0064]FIG. 29 is a front view of a mobile information device in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0065]FIG. 30-FIG. 32 are flowcharts for the mobile information devicein the embodiment of the present invention.

[0066]FIG. 33-FIG. 34 are exemplified illustrations showing pictureinformation displays in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0067]FIG. 35(a)-FIG. (b) are flowcharts for the resource managementserver in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0068]FIG. 36 is a front view of an electronic equipment in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0069]FIG. 37 is a flowchart for the electronic equipment in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0070]FIG. 38(a)-FIG. 38(e) are exemplified display illustrations forthe electronic equipment in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0071]FIG. 39(a)-FIG. 39(d) are front views of a hub in the embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0072] Preferred embodiment of the present invention is now described inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0073]FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a resource managementsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0074] In FIG. 1, three ports that are, a first port 2, a second port 3and a third port 4 are provided in a router 1 as an upper transmissiondevice.

[0075] The third port 4 is connected to an ADSL modem. The first port 2is connected to a first port 11 of a first hub 10 as a first lower layertransmission device through a transmission path 12. The second port 3 isconnected to a first port 14 of a second hub 13 as a second lower layertransmission device through a transmission path 15.

[0076] The first hub 10 has a second port 16 through a fifth port 19besides the first port 11. An electronic equipment A is connected to thesecond port 16, an electronic equipment B is connected to the third port17, and an electronic equipment C is connected to the fourth port 18,and the fifth port 19 is vacant.

[0077] The second hub 13 has a second port 20 through a fifth port 23besides the first port 14. An electronic equipment D is connected to thesecond port 20. The third port 21 through the fifth port 23 are vacant.An electronic equipment E is an additional equipment newly to beconnected to the third port 21.

[0078] It is assumed, unless otherwise cited, that each port isconnected by Ethernet (registered trademark) (100 base-TX) with atransmission capacity of 100 Mbps in both directions.

[0079] Here, a “lower layer transmission device” described in thisspecification may meditate a communication by an “upper transmissiondevice” (a router 1 in the present embodiment). The “lower layertransmission device” may include hubs locating at a further lower layer,for example a hub that is cascaded to the fifth port 19 of the first hub10.

[0080] For example, the first port 2 of the router 1 and the first port11 of the first hub 10 are not necessarily connected directly by atransmission path 12, a repeating device (for example, another hub etc.)can be installed in this transmission path 12. Expressions such as theupper layer or the lower layer are relative. It is enough if the uppertransmission device is located in the higher layer than the lower layertransmission device, and it does not mean that the upper transmissiondevice should be located in the highest layer.

[0081] In such a network, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) etc.gives the network configuration information how electronic equipmentsare connected.

[0082] A resource management server 5 manages the information concerningthe resource reservation status and the information of groups of allelectronic equipments connected to hubs 10 and 13 in the presentresource management system.

[0083] In concrete, the resource management server 5 has an electronicequipment performance table 6 shown in FIG. 3, a reservation statustable 7 shown in FIG. 5, an insufficient location table 8 shown in FIG.6 and an available location table 9 shown in FIG. 7, and manages thepresent resource management system using these tables 6-9.

[0084] In the example of FIG. 1, the resource management server 5 isprovided in a body with the router 1. However, the resource managementserver 5 can be installed in any location separately from the router, aslong as the resource management server 5 is communicable with thenetwork.

[0085] Next, the configuration example of the router 1 will be describedusing FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a router in theembodiment of the present invention.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 2, a router 1 has a CPU (central processingunit) 30, a RAM (random access memory) 32, a ROM (read only memory) 33,and an external storage device 34 (hard disk etc.) that are connected tothe CPU 30 through a bus 31. The router 1 further has a networkinterface 35 that controls communication input/output.

[0087] Management programs pursuant to the flowcharts of FIG. 8 throughFIG. 10, FIG. 13, and FIG. 15 are stored in the ROM 33. The CPU 30manages the resource by executing the management programs. Tables 6 to 9shown in FIG. 1 are secured as fixed areas in the RAM 32, the externalstorage 34, etc.

[0088] The router 1 as the upper transmission device is only oneexample. Other elements with other names such as a switch or a gatewaymay be used for the upper transmission device. These elements are alsoencompassed by the present invention. In the present embodiment, theresource management server 5 is built in the router 1. The configurationcan not only comprise a network compactly, but the communication timebetween the router 1 and the resource management server 5 can bepreferably shortened.

[0089] Next, the electronic equipment performance table 6 (especiallygroups of electronic equipments A-E and others) will be describedreferring to FIG. 3.

[0090] The electronic equipment performance table 6 in the presentembodiment has fields such as electronic equipment name, group,function, network receiving capacity, receiving service capacity,network sending capacity, and service sending capacity.

[0091] The name of an electronic equipment is set to the field of theelectronic equipment name. In the present example, the electronicequipment A is a standard television of NTSC (SDTV), the electronicequipment B is a Hi-Vision television (HDTV), the electronic equipment Cis a telephone set (TEL), the electronic equipment D is a VTR (VTR), andthe electronic equipment E is a Hi-Vision VTR (HDDVTR).

[0092] The values of AV, TEL, and others are set to the group field. Thedevices with the same value in the group field belong to the same groupand the devices with the different value do not belong to the samegroup.

[0093] Values such as picture display, voice, recording picture andreplaying picture are set to the function field.

[0094] Values of bit rate or “none” are set to the fields of the networkreceiving capacity and the network sending capacity. The number ofchannels or “none” is set to the fields of the receiving servicecapacity and the sending service capacity.

[0095] Connecting an electronic equipment to any vacant ports of thefirst hub 10 or the second hub 13 notifies the resource managementserver 5 as shown in FIG. 4.

[0096] That is, after the electronic equipment is connected to a vacantport at step 1, the electronic equipment detects the resource managementserver 5 located on the network through the connected port at step 2. Atstep 3, the electronic equipment notifies its performance to theresource management server 5. The resource management server 5, havingreceived the notice, provides a new entry in the electronic equipmentperformance table and sets the notified value to this entry. Repeatingthe procedure makes the table as shown in FIG. 3.

[0097] When the electronic equipment E is not yet connected to the thirdport 21, as shown in FIG. 1, there is no entry for the electronicequipment E in FIG. 3. The entry of the electronic equipment E shown inFIG. 3 is to be added to the electronic equipment performance table 6after the electronic equipment E is connected to the third port 21, andthe resource management server 5 receives the notice of step 3.

[0098] The resource management server 5 makes a reservation referring tothis electronic equipment performance table 6. In an example of FIG. 3,when notified the electronic equipment performance at step 3 in FIG. 4from the electronic equipment D, the resource management server 5considers the connection between the electronic equipments in accordancewith their belonging group.

[0099] The electronic equipment D is a VTR, which has a capacity todistribute image on the network. Devices that have the capacity toreceive the image from the electronic equipment D and display it are theelectronic equipment A and the electronic equipment B belonging to thesame AV group. Therefore, whether the resource between the electronicequipment D and the electronic equipment A, and between the electronicequipment D and the electronic equipment B can be reserved isconsidered.

[0100] In this consideration, the resource management server 5 takesinto consideration that the maximum transfer capacity of the electronicequipment D is 10 Mbps and only the image of 1ch can be distributedsimultaneously referring to the electronic equipment performance table6.

[0101] Next, the reservation status table 7 will be explained using FIG.5. In the network of the present embodiment, three transmission devicessuch as the router 1, the first hub 10 and the second hub 13 are used asshown in FIG. 1.

[0102] Therefore, the reservation status table 7 in the presentembodiment is comprised of three tables; the table of the router 1 (FIG.5(a)), the table of the first hub 10 (FIG. 5 (b)), and the table of thesecond hub 13 (FIG. 5(c)).

[0103] Each table has fields such as connected party, availablebandwidth (input), reserved bandwidth (input), available bandwidth(output) and reserved bandwidth (output) for every port.

[0104] Here, the term “available bandwidth” means a bandwidth availablefor reservation. “Input” means that data arrives to the correspondingport, and “output” means that data is sent from the corresponding port.

[0105] In the state of FIG. 5, the third port 21 of the second hub 13has no connected party and both input and output are “0” in the reservedbandwidth, as shown in FIG. 5 (c).

[0106] Next, an insufficient location table 8 and an available locationtable 9 will be explained using FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0107] The insufficient location table 8 has three fields such aselectronic equipment name, port and insufficient bandwidth. FIG. 6 showsthe state that the first port 14 of the second hub 13 is short of thebandwidth by 5 Mbps.

[0108] This means that when the insufficient location table 8 is vacant(no entry), all the present resource demands can be accepted. However,when the insufficient location table 8 is not vacant, the resourcedemands cannot be accepted partly at the location shown by the entry.

[0109] The available location table 9 has two fields such as electronicequipment name and port as shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows that the firstport 14 of the second hub 13 is available.

[0110] Next, the process that the resource management server 5 searchesthe network path will be described using FIG. 8. First, when receiving anotice from an electronic equipment at step 3 in FIG. 4, the resourcemanagement server 5 specifies the location to be connected for theelectronic equipment at step 10. This specification is executed asfollows. The resource management server 5 acquires MIB (ManagementInformation Base) information from the first hub 10 and the second hub13 using SNMP as mentioned above, and compares the MAC addressregistered into each hub with the MAC address of the electronicequipment that has sent the notice. This comparison specifies thelocation to be connected for the electronic equipment.

[0111] Next, at step 11, the resource management server 5 registers thespecified location to be connected into the reservation status table 7.

[0112] Next, at step 12, the resource management server 5 searches theelectronic equipment performance table 5 and checks whether there is anentry belonging to the same group as the electronic equipment that havesent the notice.

[0113] If there is, the resource management server 5 specifies a pathbetween the detected electronic equipment and the electronic equipmentthat has sent the notice at step 13 and records the path on thereservation status table 7 at step 14.

[0114] If there is not, at step 15, the resource management server 5searches for other electronic equipments and repeats the process afterstep 12 until all search is completed.

[0115] Next, the process that the resource management server 5 searchesthe resource will be described using FIG. 9. First, a path in thenetwork recorded by the process in FIG. 8 is read at step 20 in FIG. 9.At step 21, the resource management server 5 obtains the presentbandwidth information concerning the path.

[0116] At step 22, the bandwidth demanded by the electronic equipmentthat has sent the notice is compared with the present bandwidth, andchecks whether the available bandwidth is equal to or more than thedemanded bandwidth.

[0117] If so, at step 23, the resource management server 5 sets a flagthat indicates the availability of this path, repeats the processes ofstep 21 through step 24 and proceeds to step 26. During the processes,searches advance from the port where the electronic equipment that hassent the notice, towards the target electronic equipment, until reachingto the target electronic equipment (step 24).

[0118] If not, at step 25, the resource management server 5 specifiesthe location that is short of the bandwidth, set this information to theinsufficient location table 8 and proceeds to step 26.

[0119] At step 26, the resource management server 5 confirms that allthe paths have been checked and checks whether the insufficient locationtable 8 is not vacant. When vacant, the resource management server 5ends the process. However, when not vacant, the resource managementserver 5 generates, at step 28, picture information that shows thereservation is impossible to accept as illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0120] This picture information is sent to electronic equipments on thenetwork that are able to display the picture information (the electronicequipments A and B etc.) and displayed. The users may be notified by anLED display, voice, etc. if the electronic equipment does not have adisplay unit.

[0121] Next, the process that the resource management server 5 reservesa resource will be described using FIG. 10. First, at step 30 in FIG.10, the recorded network path is read by the process described in FIG.8.

[0122] At step 31, the resource management server 5 selects one of theelectronic equipments that should be reserved and sends a reservationrequest to the selected electronic equipment (step 32). The resourcemanagement server 5 processes step 31 and step 32 for all the electronicequipments that should be reserved and repeats the processes of step 30through step 33 for all paths (step 34).

[0123] The reservation request is notified to each network node (router1, hub 10 and hub 13, etc.) in accordance with RSVP etc. Each nodereserves its own resource for the service in accordance with the notice.

[0124] In the explanations above, the resource management server 5issues the reservation request, but it is also possible to makeelectronic equipments to issue the reservation request. When such areservation is executed, the reservation status table 7 before theelectronic equipment E is connected will look like ones shown in FIG. 5.

[0125] The following describes how the resource management systemaccording to the present embodiment works when, for example, theelectronic equipment E is connected to the third port 21 of the secondhub 13 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0126] First, when the electronic equipment E is connected to the thirdport 21, the electronic equipment E notifies its connection to theresource management server 5 according to the flowchart in FIG. 4.

[0127] When receiving this notice, the resource management server 5searches a path on the network according to the flowchart of FIG. 8.

[0128] In the present example, since the electronic equipment E belongsto the AV group, the resource management server 5 searches electronicequipments belonging to the same AV group in the electronic equipmentperformance table 6, and hits the electronic equipments A, B, and D.

[0129] The resource management server 5 specifies the following threepaths as the network path.

[0130] (Path 1) The third port 21 of the electronic equipment E—thefirst port 14 of the second hub 13—the second port 3 of the router 1—thefirst port 2 of the router 1—the first port 11 of the first hub 10—thesecond port 16 of the first hub 10—the electronic equipment A

[0131] (Path 2) The third port 21 of the electronic equipment E—thefirst port 14 of the second hub 13—the second port 3 of the router 1—thefirst port 2 of the router 1—the first port 11 of the first hub 10—thethird port 17 of the first hub 10—the electronic equipment B

[0132] (Path 3) The third port 21 of the electronic equipment E—thesecond port 20 of the second hub 13—the electronic equipment D

[0133] Next the resource management server 5 judges whether the resourcedemanded by the electronic equipment E is assignable to each path 1-3according to FIG. 9.

[0134] That is, if the maximum of the resource demanded by theelectronic equipment E is smaller than the remaining resource amount inall the locations of the path 1, it is assignable, and if not, it isjudged as not assignable.

[0135] Each location of the path 1 is considered as follows. First,since the bandwidth 100 Mbps is not used at all in the location betweenthe electronic equipment E and the third port 21 of the second hub 14,22 Mbps is assignable.

[0136] In the location between the first port 14 of the second hub 13and the second port 3 of the router 1, 10 Mbps bandwidths is alreadyassigned out of the 100 Mbps leaving 90 Mbps available.

[0137] Therefore, 22 Mbps is assignable.

[0138] In the location between the first port 2 of the router 1 and thefirst port 11 of the first hub 10, 11 Mbps is already assigned out ofthe 100 Mbps bandwidths. 22 Mbps is assignable since 89 Mbps isavailable.

[0139] In the location between the second port 16 of the first hub 10and the electronic equipment A, 10 Mbps of the 100 Mbps bandwidths isassigned. 22 Mbps is assignable since 90 Mbps is available. However,since a television (the electronic equipment A) can receive only 1ch,the electronic equipment A can be received only from either theelectronic equipment D or the electronic equipment E.

[0140] Considering the above, it is judged that the path 1 isassignable. The path 2 and the path 3 will be judged in the same way.

[0141] <Assignable Case>

[0142] When assignable as a result of the judgment, the resource will bereserved in accordance with FIG. 10. When the electronic equipment E isconnected and the path 1 is selected, the resource is reserved asmentioned above and the reservation status table 7 is changed from thestatus shown in FIG. 5 to the status shown in FIG. 11.

[0143]FIG. 11 shows that the connected party of the third port of FIG.11(c) has been changed from “none” to “the electronic equipment E” andthe value of the path of the electronic equipment E has been changed.

[0144] <Not Assignable Case>

[0145] When the insufficient location table 8 is not vacant, the user isnotified that the resource cannot be reserved using a GUI (graphic userinterface) pursuant to the present embodiment.

[0146] The GUI as shown in FIG. 12 is preferred. However, the users maybe notified by an LED display, voice, etc. if the electronic equipmentdoes not have a display unit.

[0147] Pursuant to the present embodiment, the location that cannotassign the resource is displayed on the GUI as shown in FIG. 14.

[0148]FIG. 13 is a flowchart for the resource management server in thepresent embodiment. The figure illustrates the process of the GUIdisplay.

[0149] First, when the insufficient location table 8 is not vacant atstep 40, the resource management server 5 draws, at step 41, the router1 and the hubs 10 and 13 in a drawing area secured in the RAM 32 asshown in FIG. 12, referring to the electronic equipment performancetable 6 and the reservation status table 7. The resource managementserver 5 draws solid lines between the electronic equipments that areconnected.

[0150] Next, at step 42, the message “the resource is in short” isdrawn, as illustrated in FIG. 14, in the location where the resource isin short, based on the insufficient location table 8. Thereby, the usercan confirm at which location the resource is in short. Therefore, theuser can obtain the information necessary for the networkrationalization such as extending the bandwidth in which the resource isin short frequently or providing another path.

[0151] With the system of the present embodiment, the resourcemanagement server 5 has a function to search other locations to beconnected that can provide the resource and to display the result on theGUI, and to reconnect to that location as shown in FIG. 16.

[0152]FIG. 15 is a flowchart for the resource management serveraccording to the present embodiment. The figure illustrates theabove-described reconnection process. Since the processes of steps 50through 51 in FIG. 15 are the same as those of steps 40 and 41 in FIG.13, the explanation will be omitted.

[0153] At step 52, the resource management server 5 selects one portwhere the electronic equipment is not yet connected among the ports ofthe router or the hub that are registered in the electronic equipmentperformance table 6. In this selection, priority may be given to eitherthe router or the hub.

[0154] At step 53, the resource management server 5 checks whether theresource is assignable for the selected port, in the same way as shownin FIG. 8 and FIG. 9.

[0155] When there is an assignable port, at step 57, the resourcemanagement server 5 sets the port to the available location table 9 inFIG. 7. This process may be ended immediately after finding anassignable port (an alternative port) or continued until finding allassignable ports (alternative ports).

[0156] When the resource management server 5 finds the selected port notassignable, the resource management server 5 examines the next port(steps 55 and 56).

[0157] After ending the search of the port, when the available locationtable 9 is not vacant (step 58), the resource management server 5 drawspicture as shown in FIG. 16 in the area mentioned above. That is, themessage “connect here” is drawn on the connecting line drawn from theport of the electronic equipment (the alternative port) stored in theavailable location table 9.

[0158] In the above process, displaying the connecting location on thesearched network by the GUI makes it feasible to show the user theconnecting location where the service is available. If the user changesthe connection according to the display, the user can receive thereliable service, which is convenient.

[0159] In order to cancel a reservation, search a path of the electronicequipment to be deleted and delete the resource of the electronicequipment to be deleted from the reservation status table 7 on the pathin the same way as making a reservation.

[0160] <Re-Reservation>

[0161] When an assignment is impossible as a result of the judgment,re-reservation is possible by any one of method 1 through method 4,pursuant to the present embodiment.

[0162] (Method 1) In this method, when one electronic equipment canprovide service by a plurality of resources, like an electronicequipment that can select the picture distribution of Hi-Vision qualityand the picture distribution of standard VTR quality, the re-reservationis made by the lower quality resource when the assignment is impossibleby the high quality resource.

[0163] For example, the electronic equipment E shown in FIG. 1 has thecapacity to send a picture of Hi-Vision quality (22 Mbps) and a pictureof standard VTR quality (6 Mbps). Thereby, the resource managementserver 5 tries the reservation first by the Hi-Vision quality thatrequires a high resource.

[0164] When this reservation is failed, the reservation is made again bythe standard VTR quality for which the low resource is enough.

[0165] (Method 2) In this method, the resource management server 5releases once the reservations of all electronic equipments and reservesagain resource for from an electronic equipment with higher resourcedemand to an electronic equipment with lower resource demand, among theresources on the network (for example, since a VTR, a DVD player, etc.of Hi-Vision quality need many bandwidths, they are considered to demandthe higher resource).

[0166] First, if the resource reservation is failed when connecting theelectronic equipment E, the resource management server 5 cancels all thereservations once.

[0167] Next, the resource management server 5 restarts the reservationgiving a priority to an electronic equipment with the highest resourcedemand (the electronic equipment with the greatest value of the networksending capacity in the electronic equipment status table 6 shown inFIG. 3). In the illustrated example, the order is the electronicequipment E, the electronic equipment D and the electronic equipment C.

[0168] When an electronic equipment becomes unusable due to resourceshortage, the user of the electronic equipment may be preferablynotified through the GUI.

[0169] (Method 3) In this method, the resource management server 5releases once the reservations of all electronic equipments and reservesagain resources for from an electronic equipment with lower resourcedemand to an electronic equipment with higher resource demand, among theresources on the network.

[0170] First, if the resource reservation is failed when connecting theelectronic equipment E, the resource management server 5 cancels all thereservations once.

[0171] Next, the resource management server 5 restarts the reservationgiving a priority to an electronic equipment with the lowest resourcedemand (the electronic equipment with the smallest value of the networksending capacity in the electronic equipment status table 6 shown inFIG. 3). In the illustrated example, the order is the electronicequipment C, the electronic equipment D and the electronic equipment E.

[0172] When an electronic equipment becomes unusable due to resourceshortage, the user of the electronic equipment may be preferablynotified through the GUI.

[0173] (Method 4) In this method, the priority is decided by the userthrough the GUI and the reservation is made again according to thepriority.

[0174] First, if the resource reservation is failed when connecting theelectronic equipment E, the resource management server 5 cancels all thereservations once.

[0175] Next, the resource management server 5 displays the GUI and asksthe user to input the priority of the electronic equipment. Whenreceiving the input from the user, the reservation is restartedaccording to the priority.

[0176] (Method 1) through (Method 4) may be executed independently ormay be combined together if not mutually contradictory. When a resourcereservation request is not actually practiced although the reservationitself is made, the resource reservation request may be diverted toother services, thus eliminating unnecessary reservation.

[0177] When the electronic equipment E is connected to the network, theabove process makes it possible to reserve the resource so as to providethe reliable service among the electronic equipment E and the otherelectronic equipments. Therefore, when the electronic equipment E isused, the reliable service becomes surely available.

[0178] In the present embodiment, the bandwidth is used as the resourceto reserve. Other parameters such as a delay may also be assigned.

[0179] In the present embodiment, the connection by Ethernet (registeredtrademark) has been explained. Other connections such as wireless LANlike IEEE802.11 may also be effective.

[0180] In the above explanations, three examples of the pictureinformation display are shown in FIGS. 12, 14, and 16. These displayexamples and the process algorithm are extensible as described below.

[0181] (1) It is desirable to be displayed that the connectability isbeing judged while the resource management server 5 is judging whetherthe connection of the demanded electronic equipment is possible as shownin FIG. 17. Or only the display like “Please wait for a while.” ispossible. This allows the user to know the present condition.

[0182] (2) It is also desirable to display the amount of the vacantbandwidth for each port before the user connects the electronicequipment to the port as shown in FIG. 18, which allows the user to knowwhat kind of electronic equipments is connectable to the target portbefore connecting. Therefore, the user can refer to this informationwhen purchasing a new electronic equipment, which is convenient.

[0183] The available bandwidths for all the vacant ports aresimultaneously displayed in FIG. 18. The available bandwidth may also bedisplayed per every port.

[0184] (3) A display as shown in FIG. 19 is also possible, if theresource management server 5 executes the process of FIG. 9 for all thevacant ports. That is, when the result of this process shows that theelectronic equipment is connectable to a plurality of ports, all theconnectable ports can be displayed.

[0185] This allows the user to select the installation place of theelectronic equipment freely, which is convenient. All the connectableports are displayed simultaneously in FIG. 19. The connectable ports maybe displayed one by one.

[0186] In FIG. 19, it is enough to let the user notify that thecorresponding port is connectable. Other displays like marking “O.K.”etc. are acceptable. Or the display showing the unconnectable port, forexample, by marking “X” etc. is also acceptable.

[0187] (4) In FIG. 12 and others, the display shows that the electronicequipment is unavailable because of the resource shortage at the timewhen connecting the electronic equipment in using the correspondingport. However, the display indicating that the electronic equipment isunavailable may be made at the time when the electronic equipment startsto use the resource practically, like replaying operation, etc. as shownin FIG. 20

[0188] This provides the user with the information on the reason why theelectronic equipment is unusable and the place of the cause, which isconvenient.

[0189] (5) The display may not only show the user that the reservationis impossible simply because of the resource shortage but also show thatthe user can use the electronic equipment if the other electronicequipments now being used is stopped to use.

[0190] The resource management server 5 may execute the followingprocess for this purpose.

[0191] First, the resource management server 5 secures, in the RAM 32,the stop device table (table indicating devices to be stopped) with adata structure shown in FIG. 22.

[0192] Next, the resource management server 5 searches the electronicequipment to be stopped by an algorithm illustrated in FIG. 23. First,at step 60, the information on the reservation status of the electronicequipment recorded in the insufficient location table 8 is obtained fromthe reservation status table 7.

[0193] At step 61, the resource management server 5 ends the processwhen there is no reserved bandwidth in the reservation status table 7,otherwise, the resource management server 5 proceeds to step 62.

[0194] At step 62, the resource management server 5 obtains the reservedbandwidth of the corresponding port and checks at step 63 whether theinsufficient bandwidth is smaller than the reserved bandwidth of thecorresponding port.

[0195] When not smaller at step 63, the resource management server 5records the value of the insufficient bandwidth on the table stored inthe RAM32 and at step 65 the resource management server 5 checks whetherthe insufficient bandwidth is smaller than the total bandwidths of thestop device table at step 64.

[0196] When not smaller at step 65, the resource management server 5checks whether there are other ports with the reserved bandwidth at step66. When there are not, the resource management server 5 ends theprocess and when there are, the resource management server 5 returns theprocess to step 62.

[0197] When smaller at step 63, the resource management server 5 clearsthe stop device table at step 67, and records the corresponding port onthe stop device table at step 68 and proceeds to step 69.

[0198] When smaller at step 65, the resource management server 5proceeds to step 69.

[0199] From step 69 to step 70, the resource management server 5displays “Available unless using this electronic equipment” for all theports recorded on the stop device table.

[0200] The display may not only show the user that the reservation isimpossible simply because of the resource shortage, but also show thatthe user can use the electronic equipment if the other electronicequipments now being used is stopped to use.

[0201] This allows the user to use a new electronic equipment when someother electronic equipments are stopped to use, which is convenient.

[0202] In other way, the result of the process by the resourcemanagement server 5 described above may be also displayed as shown inFIG. 24. That is, from step 69 to step 70, the display showing “Removethis electronic equipment” in stead of “Available unless using thiselectronic equipment at the same time” as shown in FIG. 21 is alsopossible.

[0203] This allows the user to use a new electronic equipment surelywhen removing some electronic equipments, which is convenient.

[0204] Although FIG. 24 illustrates only one electronic equipment ofwhich connection should be canceled, a plurality of electronicequipments of which connections should be canceled are displayable atonce.

[0205] (6) The display may not only show the user that the reservationis impossible because of the resource shortage, but also show that theuser can use the electronic equipment if the other electronic equipmentnow being used is moved from the presently using port to another port.

[0206] The resource management server 5 may execute the processillustrated in FIG. 26 for this purpose. At step 80, the resourcemanagement server 5 selects one electronic equipment that is movedtemporarily, and the resource management server 5 ends the process whenthere is no electronic equipment that is moved temporarily or when allelectronic equipments have been moved temporarily at step 81. Otherwise,the resource management server 5 moves the process to step 82.

[0207] At step 82, the resource management server 5 copies thereservation status table 7 into the RAM32 and deletes from the RAM32 thereservation of the electronic equipment that has been moved temporarilyat step 83.

[0208] At step 84, the resource management server 5 selects one port towhich the electronic equipment is moved temporarily among the vacantports.

[0209] At step 85, when there is no vacant port or all the vacant portshave been completed to be examined, the resource management server 5returns the process to step 80 and selects the next electronic equipmentto be moved temporarily. Otherwise, the resource management server 5moves the process to step 86.

[0210] At step 86, the resource management server 5 obtains the path inthe same way as illustrated in FIG. 8. At step 87, the resourcemanagement server 5 sets the available flag in the same way asillustrated in FIG. 9.

[0211] At step 88, when the insufficient location table 8 is vacant, theresource management server 5 draws picture as shown in FIG. 25 at step89. Otherwise, the resource management server 5 returns the process tostep 80.

[0212] Therefore, the display may not only show the user that thereservation is impossible because of the resource shortage, but alsoshow that the user can use the electronic equipment if the otherelectronic equipment now being used is moved from the presently usingport to another port.

[0213] This allows the user to connect the desirable electronicequipment to the desirable port and to use it for sure, only if thespecified electronic equipment is moved as instructed, which isconvenient.

[0214] (7) The network path is displayed with the tree structure in theexplanation above. However, when room arrangement of a building (forexample, a house, an office building, etc.) in which the electronicequipment is installed is already known, an electronic equipment, aport, etc. can be displayed according to the room arrangement as shownin FIG. 27.

[0215] This allows the user to understand the location of the availableport easily and intuitively of the desirable electronic equipment, whichis convenient.

[0216] (8) A display showing that the electronic equipment isconnectable if the user purchases a new hub or a new switch etc., may bepossible as shown in FIG. 28. An algorithm for this purpose can becomprised when various algorithms mentioned above are combined in aproper way.

[0217] This allows the user to use the desirable electronic equipmentsurely if the user purchases a new hub etc. and connects the desirableelectronic equipment as instructed, which is convenient.

[0218] (9) In the above explanation, the case when a user connects theelectronic equipment by himself/herself has been described. However, acase when a user calls a serviceman asking to make the connection of theelectronic equipment is also possible. In such a case, follow thesubsequent procedures.

[0219]FIG. 29 shows a mobile information device for servicemen (forexample, PDA, a cellular phone, a portable personal computer, etc.).This mobile information device comprises a body 40 and the followingelements installed in the body 40.

[0220] A display 41 is a touch panel, a tablet, or a display panel (LCDetc.) and displays the resource usage etc. A network cable 43 isconnectable to a port 42 and a terminal 44 that is connectable to theport is installed at the tip of the network cable 43.

[0221] A device setup button 45, a connection relation display button46, and a reservation status display button 47 are installed in the body40. These buttons 45 through 47 are installable in the display 41 assoftware keys when the display 41 comprises a touch panel or a tablet,etc.

[0222] The device setup button 45 is to input resource demand, groupinformation, etc. for electronic equipments to be used. The manual entryin accordance with the display 41 etc. is possible, and some or allinformation from the resource management server 5 through the network isalso obtainable. Or, this information is obtainable by entering themodel number of an electronic equipment on the web site of the companyon the Internet.

[0223] Depressing the device setup button 45 executes the process shownin FIG. 30. That is, device name, group name, function, networkreceiving capacity, receiving service capacity, network sending capacityand sending service capacity are entered in order at step 111 throughstep 117. The order of this entry is changeable at random. That is, tospecify the device performance table 6 shown in FIG. 3 is enough.

[0224] This entry can be executed without an electronic equipment. Thisenables the user to check the installation place of an electronicequipment before the purchase of the electronic equipment, which isconvenient.

[0225] In FIG. 29, the connection relation display button 46 is forobtaining connection-related information from the resource managementserver 5.

[0226] After inserting the terminal 44 in a suitable vacancy port,depressing the connection relation display button 46 executes theprocedures shown in FIG. 31. At step 101, the mobile information deviceis connected to the resource management server 5 through a cable 43.

[0227] Then at step 102, the mobile information device obtains theconnection-related information from the resource management server 5 anddisplays the obtained information on the display 41 at step 103.

[0228] In FIG. 29, the reservation status display button 47 is forobtaining the information on reservation status from the resourcemanagement server 5.

[0229] After inserting the terminal 44 in a suitable vacancy port,depressing the reservation status display button 47 executes theprocedures shown in FIG. 32. At step 91, the mobile information deviceis connected to the resource management server 5 through the cable 43.

[0230] Then at step 92, the mobile information device obtains theinformation on the reservation status table 7 from the resourcemanagement server 5 and displays the obtained information on the display41 at step 93. This makes feasible to check the reservation status andthe connection relation with the mobile information device, which isconvenient for maintenance.

[0231] (10) There is also a case when a new electronic equipment (aHi-Vision VTR here) is desired to be connected to the port where alreadyanother electronic equipment (a telephone here) has been connected asshown in FIG. 33. One example is a case where other places areinconvenient because of the room arrangement.

[0232] Here, a port to be connected is easily designated with aremote-control device attached to an electronic equipment or the mobileinformation device shown in FIG. 29, and others.

[0233] In this case, executing the procedures illustrated in FIG. 35 maydesignate a port to which the other electronic equipment should bemoved, as shown in FIG. 34.

[0234] At step 120 in FIG. 35, the resource management server 5 inputsthe port location where the new electronic equipment is to be installedfrom the user.

[0235] At step 121, the resource management server 5 searches thereservation status table 7 and obtains the information on the electronicequipment that is connected to the corresponding port.

[0236] At step 122, the resource management server 5 checks whether theconnecting party of this electronic equipment is “none.”

[0237] When not “none” at step 122, at step 123, the resource managementserver 5 copies the tables 6 through 8 into the RAM 32, and at step 124,copies the reservation information on the electronic equipment connectedto the corresponding port into the RAM 32, and at step 125, deletes,from the reservation status table 7, the reservation information thathas been copied into the RAM 32.

[0238] At step 126, the resource management server 5 executes the sameprocesses as steps 10 through 15 and steps 20 through 28, and determinesthe port to which the electronic equipment that is connected to thecorresponding port is to be moved.

[0239] At step 127, the resource management server 5 checks whether theelectronic equipment connected to the corresponding port is connectableto the port to which the electronic equipment is determined to be moved.When unconnectable, the resource management server 5 displays that theelectronic equipment is unconnectable at step 132.

[0240] When connectable, at step 128 through step 131, the resourcemanagement server 5 repeats the same process for the port to which theelectronic equipment is to be moved, the reservation information of theelectronic equipment having been copied at step 124.

[0241] When the corresponding port to be connected is “none” at step122, the resource management server 5 executes the process of steps 133through 136.

[0242] In either case, the resource management server 5 displays thatthe electronic equipment is connectable (step 137) when any port isfound to which the electronic equipment is moved and connectable. Whennot found, the resource management server 5 displays that the electronicequipment is unconnectable (steps 132 and 138).

[0243] This allows the user not only to connect the new electronicequipment to the desirable port, but also to know the port to which theelectronic equipment that has already been connected to the desirableport is moved, which is convenient.

[0244] In FIG. 34, only one port is shown to which the electronicequipment that has already been connected to the desirable port ismoved. When plural ports are available, a simultaneous display of theplural ports is also preferable.

[0245] (11) FIG. 36 is a front view of an electronic equipment in thepresent embodiment. Here a DVD player is exemplified as the electronicequipment. The DVD player comprises a body case 50, a disk tray 51, anoperation button 52, a display 53, a communications part 54, and a port55.

[0246] Connected to the port 55 is a network cable 56 whose tip isattached with a terminal 57 that is connectable to a port of the hub.

[0247] The communications part 54 communicates with the resourcemanagement server 5 through a network path using the network cable 56.

[0248] The display 53 consists of an LCD, a fluorescent display tube,etc., and usually displays the truck, title, and playback time of theDVD, the present date, the present time, etc., the DVD being set to thedisk tray 51.

[0249] However, before the usual display, the display 53 displaysconnection information for a while after connecting the terminal 57 tothe port of the hub.

[0250] The communications part 54, when connected to the network path,notifies the resource request and the group information to the resourcemanagement server 5. Then the communications part 54 obtains theconnection information from the resource management server 5 anddisplays the connection information on the display 53, thus notifyingthe user. The connection information may be notified to the user notonly by the display 53 but also by voice etc.

[0251] The display 53 returns to the normal display after displaying theconnection information. The connection information is displayed as shownin FIG. 38(a) through FIG. 38(e).

[0252] Next, the flow of the process for the DVD player is describedreferring to FIG. 37. First when the terminal 57 is connected to theport of the hub at step 141, the communications part 54 tries to notifythe resource request and the group information to the resourcemanagement server 5.

[0253] When this notice is successfully received at step 142, thecommunications part 54 obtains the connection information from theresource management server 5. The obtained connection information isoutputted and displayed on the display 53.

[0254] The resource management server 5 generates the connectioninformation. When an electronic equipment has an element such as acharacter ROM that can generate a character string from character codes,the connection information can be sent in text format. The resourcemanagement server 5 may generate and send picture information to thecommunications part 54 in order to display it on the display 53. Whenthe electronic equipment memorizes plural messages related to uniquemessage indexes (for example, ID etc.), the resource management server 5may send only the message indexes to the communications part 54.

[0255] The display of the connection information that is not the normaldisplay is shown for a certain period of time (step 144). After thecertain period of time, the display 53 is changed to a mode that showsthe normal display (step 145). After changing the mode, the DVD playeroperates as an ordinal electronic equipment (step 146).

[0256] (12) It is desirable to provide the hub with such device as shownin FIG. 39. FIG. 39(a) shows a situation that no electronic equipment isconnected to the port.

[0257] As shown in FIG. 39(b), the corresponding LED of the port that isconnectable to the specific electronic equipment may be turned on, or,as shown in FIG. 39(c), the corresponding LED of the port that isconnectable to the specific electronic equipment may be blinked.

[0258] Or, as shown in FIG. 39(d), when a specific electronic equipmentis connected to a certain port but the resource request is not accepted,a negative sound (for example, a sound like “beep”) may be used. On thecontrary, when the resource request is accepted, an affirmative sound(for example, a sound like “ping-pong”) may be used.

[0259] The above displays and sounds may be realized by providing thehub with light emitting elements like LED etc. and a loudspeaker, etc.and letting the resource management server 5 publish the notice to thecorresponding hub.

[0260] (13) A mode “auto” that suggests the connecting location beforeconnecting the electronic equipment may be added. In the mode “auto”,after receiving a notice from an electronic equipment or a mobileinformation device such as shown in FIG. 29, the resource managementserver 5 refers to the reservation status table 7. Then the resourcemanagement server 5 processes steps 10 through 15 and steps 20 through28 for the ports that have not been connected to other electronicequipments and finally shows a connectable port to the user.

[0261] A port where the electronic equipment is not connected may besearched either from the top entry or from the bottom entry of thereservation status table 7. When no port is found to which otherelectronic equipments are not connected, the resource management server5 may show the user the searched result to indicate that the newelectronic equipment is unconnectable. On the contrary, when a port isfound to which other electronic equipment are not connected, theresource management server 5 may display the found connectable port tothe user.

[0262] As described above, the resource management server 5 may alsoshow the user that the electronic equipment already connected to theport should be moved.

[0263] The resource management system according to the present inventionallows the user;

[0264] (1) to receive the service of high quality easily, since thereservation of the network necessary to receive the service is made onlyby connecting an electronic equipment, and

[0265] (2) to receive the service easily without the advanced knowledgeabout the network connection, by showing an alternative location of theconnection where the service is available, in case that the service isfound not available when the electronic equipment is connected.

[0266] Having described preferred embodiments of the invention withreference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that variouschanges and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in theart without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A resource management system, comprising: aplurality of electronic equipments classified into groups according tocapacity thereof; a plurality of lower layer transmission devices withports where said plurality of electronic equipments are operable to beconnected; an upper transmission device operable to connect saidplurality of lower layer transmission devices in subordinates and torelay information among said plurality of electronic equipments beingconnected to said plurality of lower layer transmission devices; and aresource management server operable to manage resources to be used fortransmitting information between said upper transmission device and saidplurality of lower layer transmission devices; wherein said resourcemanagement server is operable to manage information of resourcereservation status and information of groups of all said electronicequipments connected to said plurality of lower layer transmissiondevices; wherein, when said plurality of electronic equipments are newlyconnected to said plurality of lower layer transmission devices, eachrespective electronic equipment is operable to send, to said resourcemanagement server, a notice of resource reservation request and groupinformation of the respective electronic equipment; and wherein, whensaid resource management server receives the notice, said resourcemanagement server is operable to set up a path in a network connectingthe newly connected electronic equipments and other electronicequipments belonging to the same group that the notice indicates, andsaid resource management server is operable to judge if the resourcereservation request according to the notice is acceptable on the pathset up in the network.
 2. A resource management system according toclaim 1, wherein said resource management server is operable to updatereservation status of the resources when the resource reservationrequest according to the notice is acceptable on the path set up in thenetwork, and operable to make at least a resource reservation for therespective electronic equipment.
 3. A resource management systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said resource management server isoperable to generate picture information displaying whether the resourcereservation request is acceptable or not.
 4. A resource managementsystem according to claim 1, wherein, when a resource reservationrequest is rejected, said resource management server is operable togenerate picture information displaying a location on the network thatcauses the rejection.
 5. A resource management system according to claim1, wherein, when a resource reservation request is rejected, saidresource management server is operable to search an alternative portthrough which the resource reservation request is acceptable and togenerate picture information displaying a location of the searchedalternative port.
 6. A resource management system according to claim 1,wherein, when a resource reservation request is rejected and when thereexist a plurality of grades of service quality, said resource managementserver is operable to make another resource reservation request with alower grade of service quality.
 7. A resource management systemaccording to claim 1, wherein, when a resource reservation request isrejected, said resource management server is operable to cancel thepresent reservation status and to make a new resource reservationrequest.
 8. A resource management system according to claim 7, whereinthe new resource reservation request is made in order of demand forhigher grade resources.
 9. A resource management system according toclaim 7, wherein the new resource reservation request is made in orderof demand for lower grade resources.
 10. A resource management systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the new resource reservation request ismade as directed by a user input.
 11. A resource management systemaccording to claim 1, wherein, when a resource reservation request isnot actually practiced although reservation thereof is made, theresource reservation request is diverted to other services.